Gullible Nepalis falling victim to human traffickers

Kathmandu, Aug. 31: In between August 24 and August 29, a total of 217 Nepalis were stopped by Nepal Police from boarding their flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under visit visa from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

The individuals were detained by the Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau (AHTB) on the basis of fake documents prepared by the individuals to get the visa. 

“The government has laid out the criteria for Nepalis to apply for a visit visa. During inspection at the airport, many were found carrying fake documents to fulfil the criteria following which they were stopped from leaving,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Dan Bahadur Malla.

SP Malla, who is also the spokesperson for AHTB, added that the individuals were lured by agents promising to help them reach their desired destination. “However, the assurances are fake. The individuals are likely to be exploited, trafficked to other countries or left stranded,” said SP Malla.

The AHTB had earlier conducted an operation at the TIA for three months to identify trafficking under visit visa. During the operation, around 200 individuals were stopped and agents were identified.

“We begin proper legal process only if the victims turn the agents in. The individuals believe that they are not cheated unless they are left stranded abroad. By turning the agents in, the individuals don’t want to lower their chances of reaching abroad,” said SP Malla.

Regarding the 217 individuals recently stopped at the airport, only a handful were found to be carrying proper documents and were allowed to leave the custody. 

“It was hard to keep the individuals silent. It was only when we kept them at a single place and checked their documents, they kept quiet. Since the documents were confirmed to be fake, they have remained silent. This showed that they were aware of forgery. Further investigation is underway,” said SP Malla.

The bureau is still inspecting documents of Nepalis leaving for the Gulf with visit visas at the airport with the help of airport officials. 

“The step has been taken to prevent Nepalis from being exploited. However, it is difficult to make them understand it unless they went through it,” said SP Malla.

According to AHTB officials, a majority of individuals reaching the bureau to file a complaint are the ones who have already suffered after reaching abroad.

“I was assured to be taken to Greece by a brother of my friend within a month as he was an agent. I paid Rs. 1.3 million and finally reached Dubai after a year. Once there, I was left stranded for a month. It was then that I felt being cheated. I returned with the financial support of my family some months ago,” said a man in his late 30s who had reached the AHTB to get updates on his complaint.

Officials have requested Nepalis to apply for abroad only through registered manpower companies. The process of their application can be tracked by contacting the concerned embassy or authorities.  

“If an individual seeking job abroad applies legally through the process stated by the Department of Foreign Employment, there is a zero chance of being cheated. We request public to not fall for agents’ assurances,” SP Malla added.

The cases of trafficking also show that Nepalis are cheated by fellow citizens only for money. 

A woman was rescued from Dubai around a year ago. She was trying to reach Dubai to work as housemaid when she met an agent. 

The agent took away all the money provided by the company for free visa and ticket process and charged the money from the victim. The agent had also received a year’s salary of the woman from the company and had signed a two-year contract.

When the woman reached Dubai, she found that she was already paid a year’s salary and was bound to work for the company for free. The exploitation only increased until she came in contact with the authorities, and was rescued.

Police have also been arresting several individuals daily for duping many people under fake assurances of taking individuals abroad. Such victims reach the police only after realising zero progress and ignorance of agent after months of paying a hefty sum of money.  

Individuals willing to reach Europen countries or the United States of America are found paying more money and left stranded in the Middle East. 

“Agents brainwash Nepalis to such an extent that they would accept any forgery to reach the desired country. Rackets exploit this desperation and cheat millions out of the victims until they are taken abroad and left stranded or exploited in different ways,” said SP Malla.

As human trafficking continues to be hard nut to crack, the police have intensified awareness programmes to take the issue. 

That said, the authorities lack proper resources to tackle the crime which takes place in an international level. The government has also been suggested to implement the 18-point criteria for visit visa strictly.

“We are inspecting documents for visit visa effectively. One with insufficient or fake documents will not be allowed to pass through,” said Ganesh Acharya, senior immigration officer and information officer for TIA-based Immigration Office.

According to SP Malla, almost every individual desiring to reach Europe or other countries are often taken to Dubai as the first point of trafficking under visit visa. 

In between March 11 and August 26, 53,054 Nepalis have left for Gulf countries under visit visa. A Majority of them haven’t returned even after their visa have expired.